Exercises Doctrine

Reflections on Improving Support Work During Field Garrison Training: A Certain Brigade of the 76th Group Army

第76集团军某旅关于做好驻训期间保障工作的思考

PLA Daily (解放军报) 4 August 2026

Summary

A brigade of the 76th Group Army, garrisoning near the Turpan Basin where temperatures have exceeded 45°C, replaced field tents with air-conditioned prefabricated panel rooms this training season after an internal Party committee investigation documented more than ten heatstroke cases in a single day the previous year and found that high-intensity subjects like loading-and-movement and camouflage-and-protection had been pushed into nighttime slots to avoid the heat. The article documents a specific institutional debate — whether comfort infrastructure undermines 艰苦奋斗本色 (the character of hard struggle) or enables it — and records the Party committee's resolution that scientific support and cultivating 战斗精神 (fighting spirit) are compatible rather than opposed. The framing points to a broader effort within PLA ground forces to recast welfare improvements as combat-capability measures rather than concessions to comfort, though whether this reflects a theater- or army-wide policy shift or a brigade-level initiative remains unclear from the article.

Translation

"In the past, the tents at midday were like a steamer — it was very hard to get proper rest. This year, with prefabricated panel rooms and air conditioning, we can rest soundly and train with even more energy!" In the height of summer, at the field garrison training site of a certain brigade of the 76th Group Army, Staff Sergeant First Class Zhou Yabo of the rocket artillery company finished his midday rest, straightened his gear, and walked briskly to his post.

Unlike previous years, during this year's garrison training the brigade replaced traditional tents with prefabricated panel rooms and fitted them with air conditioning, giving officers and soldiers a cool place to rest and recover amid the vast Gobi Desert.

The brigade's garrison training site sits adjacent to the Turpan Basin, where temperatures have recently continued to break 45°C. The extreme heat tests the will of the garrisoned officers and soldiers, and has also posed a difficult problem for the brigade's Party committee.

At one commander's working meeting, while discussing the support plan for the garrison training period, the question of "whether air conditioning could be installed in the billeting panel rooms" sparked heated debate among those present.

Some argued that field garrison training is itself a "whetstone" for tempering the will, and that letting officers and soldiers live in air-conditioned rooms could easily weaken their awareness of hardship, breed a mentality of comfort-seeking, and erode their fighting spirit. Others countered that extreme heat not only affects the rest of officers and soldiers, but could also cause heatstroke and heat stroke (热射病), resulting in non-combat attrition that would in turn undermine training effectiveness — a net loss.

The brigade Party committee did not rush to a conclusion. Instead, it first formed an investigation team to go to the front line and gather baseline data. The investigation found: at noon, the bed boards inside were hot to the touch, with a perceived temperature of up to 50°C; records from the field outpatient clinic showed that during the same high-temperature period the previous year, on one day more than ten officers and soldiers suffered heatstroke; garrisoned officers and soldiers widely reported that the extreme heat frequently made it impossible to sleep, affecting their training condition; high-intensity training subjects such as loading and movement and camouflage and protection had been forced to be split into early morning, evening, or even nighttime slots, undermining training effectiveness…

The brigade Party committee recognized that the "scorching" challenge of high temperatures during garrison training had become a real obstacle to combat capability generation. They ultimately reached a consensus: the health of officers and soldiers is an important foundation for improving combat capability; tempering the will does not mean blindly pushing through by brute force; since most new-type combat vehicles and command shelters are already equipped with air conditioning, installing air conditioning in billeting panel rooms is not an indulgence or a sign of complacency, but a practical measure to maintain combat capability and safeguard the health of officers and soldiers.

The brigade immediately established a dedicated support team, worked backward from the deadline, used a visual operations map (挂图作战), and followed through at every stage. It drew on electricians and maintenance specialists to form an inspection detachment, and quickly completed the construction of the panel rooms, the erection of the power supply network, and the installation and commissioning of the air conditioning. With an eye toward the high-temperature environment, the brigade simultaneously improved the ancillary support for field garrison training, providing health protection for garrisoned officers and soldiers by organizing medical personnel to conduct regular patrol consultations and distributing electrolyte drinks as needed.

When the reporter visited the newly constructed panel room billeting area, each dormitory was found to be designated for eight personnel, with indoor temperatures stable at 26°C, and a power-rotation schedule and support team contact number posted on the bulletin board at the entrance. The rocket artillery company commander told the reporter that since the air-conditioned panel rooms were put into use, non-combat attrition caused by high temperatures has dropped significantly, and the company's high-intensity training subjects such as loading and movement and camouflage and protection have proceeded in a continuous and orderly fashion, with the rate of excellent and good scores in assessments rising markedly.

A few days prior, the brigade organized a company and battalion tactical training exercise under high-temperature conditions. Each unit used the air-conditioned panel rooms for timely rotation and rest. After more than ten hours of intensive training, Zhou Yabo and his comrades were still in high spirits and full of fighting will. He said: "The organization keeps our hardships in mind; we must all the more keep our mission on our shoulders."

Installing air conditioning in the garrison training panel rooms looks at first glance like a small matter that the Party committee could settle with a single decision, but behind this small matter lies a quiet shift in the philosophy of support (保障理念). In the past, some believed that officers and soldiers on garrison training simply had to endure hardship and exhaustion, and that better conditions would easily cause them to lose the character of hard struggle (艰苦奋斗本色). But training for war has never been about brute endurance, and cultivating fighting spirit (战斗精神) and providing scientific support are not opposites. Only when officers and soldiers are well-rested can they complete training tasks in a better state and with more resolute will — and that itself is adding to combat capability building. The reporter believes that this coolness amid the scorching Gobi summer will surely become a "catalyst" for strengthening the fighting will of officers and soldiers and enhancing the combat capability of the force.

Original Chinese

“以前一到中午，帐篷里就像蒸笼，很难好好休息。今年有了板房和空调，休息得踏实，训练劲头更足！”盛夏时节，在第76集团军某旅野外驻训场，结束午休的火箭炮连一级上士周亚波整理好装具，脚步轻快地走向战位。与往年不同，今年驻训期间，该旅采用装配式板房替代传统帐篷，并配套加装空调，让官兵在茫茫戈壁中也有一处清凉的休整港湾。该旅驻训地紧邻吐鲁番盆地，近期气温持续突破45℃。高温考验着驻训官兵的意志，也为该旅党委出了道难题。一次首长办公会现场，在讨论驻训期间配套保障方案时，“宿营板房能不能装空调”引发大家热议。有人认为，野外驻训本就是锤炼意志的“磨刀石”，让官兵住进空调房容易弱化吃苦意识，滋生安逸心理，消磨锐气斗志；也有人说，高温酷暑不仅影响官兵休息，还可能导致中暑、热射病造成非战斗减员，反而影响训练质效，得不偿失。旅党委没有轻易下结论，而是先组建调研组到一线摸排底数。调研了解到：正午时分室内床板烫手，体感温度可达50℃；野战门诊部接诊记录显示，去年同期高温时段，某日中暑官兵超过10人；驻训官兵普遍表示，常因高温炎热难以入眠，影响训练状态；装载机动、伪装防护等高强度训练课目被迫拆分至清晨、傍晚甚至夜间进行，影响训练质效…… 旅党委意识到，高温这道驻训“烤”题，已成为影响战斗力生成的现实难题。他们最终达成共识：官兵健康是战斗力提升的重要基础，磨练意志不等于盲目蛮干，如今新型战车、指挥方舱大多已配备空调，给宿营板房安装空调并非是贪图享受、不思进取，而是保持战斗力、保障官兵健康的务实举措。旅队立即成立专项保障组，倒排工期、挂图作战、全程跟进，抽调电工和维修骨干组建巡检分队，很快完成了板房搭建、供电网络架设以及空调安装调试。着眼高温环境，他们同步完善野外驻训配套保障，通过组织卫勤人员定时巡诊、按需发放电解质饮品等方式，为驻训官兵提供健康保障。记者来到刚搭建的板房宿营区，看到每间宿舍定员8人，室内温度稳定在26℃，门口公告栏上贴有换电时间表和保障组联系电话。火箭炮连连长告诉记者，空调板房投入使用以来，因高温导致的非战斗减员大幅减少，连队装载机动、伪装防护等高强度课目训练连贯有序，考核优良率明显上升。几天前，该旅组织了一次高温条件下的营连战术训练，各单位利用空调板房适时进行轮替休整，经过10余个小时的紧张训练，周亚波和战友们仍旧精神抖擞、斗志昂扬。他说：“组织把我们的疾苦放在心上，我们更要把使命担在肩上。” 给驻训板房装空调，乍一看是党委拍板就能落地的小事，但小事背后，是保障理念的悄然转变。以往有人觉得，官兵驻训就得熬苦受累，条件好了容易丢了艰苦奋斗本色。但练兵备战从来不是蛮干硬扛，战斗精神培育与科学保障更不是对立的。官兵休息得好，才能以更好的状态、更加坚定的意志完成训练任务，而这本身就是在为战斗力建设做“加法”。记者相信，这份戈壁酷暑里的清凉，定能成为强化官兵战斗意志、提升部队战斗力的“催化剂”。